9 Creative Ways to Present a Project

There are a lot of things you can do to make your project presentation the best possible. You need to think not only about the project itself, but also about your audience. Check out these 9 creative ways to present a project.

1. Choose Your Project Wisely

Before the presentation itself, you have to find a project, right? If you have a chance to choose, try to find out which one of the projects that are offered has a potential to be the most interesting. Don’t think only about what would be interesting to you; think about what would be interesting to your audience. Study your audience as much as you can and choose your project wisely. The first step to presenting a great project is to have an interesting subject matter.

2. Pay Attention to Your Audience

You should choose your project according to what may appeal to the audience, but that is not the only important thing. Sometimes, you may get a project that is not very interesting and you’ll still need to present it in the best possible way. Try to make it as much fun as you can, especially if your audience consists of school kids. Use little colorful cards, or pictures, or anything else you can come up with that will make your presentation more interesting.

Include your audience into your presentation as much as you can. This is not always possible; sometimes you need to present a completely new topic that people in the audience don’t know much about. Even then you should ask at least a few questions. The point is to make your audience feel included and that they get a feeling that you are there because of them, not vice versa.

3. Rehearse Before You Present

One of the biggest problems for people when it comes to presenting a project is a stage fright. To get rid of it, you must rehearse. This is especially important when it comes to presenting a business project, because if you stutter while you talk or show signs of nervousness, you won’t seem professional.

The best way to get rid of stage fright is to learn your subject matter really well. You can’t allow yourself to be ambushed by a question; you have to know what you are talking about and you have to rehearse. Stand in front of a mirror and talk. Imagine that there are people in front of you and do everything the way you would in front of the real audience. Do this as many times as you need, the better you’re prepared the lesser the possibility for a mistake.

Relax and be creative, try to present your project in details, but try not to overwhelm your audience with information, because they might get bored. Just be yourself and explain everything the way you would to your child or your friends, depending on the structure of your audience. You can even ask someone to help you prepare and play along while you are rehearsing, maybe even have them ask you some questions. The point is to create a real atmosphere of a presentation and to gain an insight of what to expect before you get into it. You’re guaranteed to succeed.

4. Make a Presentation

Ok, now that you know exactly what you’ll be doing and you’ve prepared yourself the best possible – you need to go a step further. The main ingredient of being good at presenting a project is to make a good presentation.

The best idea of course is to use Power Point or some kind of similar computer program. However, if you can’t make a computer presentation, good old pen and paper will do the trick – just make sure that the paper is big enough for everyone to see. Highlight or bold the most important things. Use colors to emphasize – red for danger, green for good stuff and so on.

Remember that your presentation is a help tool, not the project itself. You absolutely must not list everything you are going to say in the presentation – you will look unprofessional and bottom line lazy. The presentation should consist of keywords that will help you if you get stuck while talking, as well as some interesting photos or videos – which leads us to the next tip.

5. Add Photos and Videos

It has been proven that people respond better to visual than to audio stimulation. That means that you should add some interesting photos and videos to your project presentation.

Of course, you’ll choose your material according to the subject of your project. The photos and the videos need to be closely related to what you’re talking about and to present the highlights of your project. Still, don’t put too much of them, because you might end up with people that are too confused and overwhelmed to listen to what you’re saying. The photo and video material should be there to emphasize not to distract.

6. Make It Interesting

Every subject can be interesting if presented well. This is the most important thing when it comes to creative ways to present a project – you need to be interesting.
I’ve already mentioned that you should choose the subject wisely and make it interesting, now I’m talking about you. You yourself as a project presenter need to be interesting. You can’t just talk like you’re bored to death and expect people to be interested in what you’re saying. Be creative, be bold and be loud. Do not be afraid to raise your voice to emphasize things. Of course, don’t yell at people – you know what I mean.

Dress as a clown if you have to. Sing and dance. Tell jokes. Do whatever it takes to be as interesting as possible. You can have the most boring subject in the world and with just a little creativity make it the most interesting one.

7. Add Testimonials

Researches have shown that people respond really well to testimonials. Whatever your subject is, if you find someone that’s been through it – you’re on your way to present a project in the best possible way. Video testimonials are of course the best, because they show the emotions as well. However, if you can’t get your hands on video testimonial, audio or written will also be good. Make sure that the testimonial shows crucial things about you presentation.

8. Be Persuasive and Straightforward

You must never be afraid to speak your mind when presenting a project. No matter if it’s a business or a school project – your opinion matters.

Still, you need to make sure you do research for your project as good as possible. You can’t just form an opinion on a matter based on a couple of things you’re not even sure about. You need to be able to stand behind your words and back them up with evidence. Only then will your opinion really have a meaning.

Same goes for persuasion – you will not persuade anyone in what you’re saying with a simple “I’m telling you”, you need back up evidence. Emphasize the keywords both in your visual presentation and while you’re talking.

9. Give Value

When we sum it all up, we come to this point – you presentation needs to give value. Without that, you might as well give up doing the presentation in the first place, because it will just be a waste of time.

You need to be able to change a few minds with your presentation. You need to show new perspective to your audience, present them with something they didn’t know until then and make them believe the same thing you do. If only one person leaves your presentation with some knowledge – you’ve done your job well. Don’t let it be just words – give it a value.

Now that you have the tips, tell me – how did your project presentation go?